JP2015514584A - System and method for welding electrodes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to welding, and more specifically to an electrode for arc welding such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW) or flux core arc welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, the hollow welding wire has a sheath and a core. The core has a carbon source and a potassium source, which together constitute less than 10% by weight of the core. Furthermore, the carbon source is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, lamp black, carbon nanotubes and diamond.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to welding, and more specifically to an electrode for arc welding such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW) or flux core arc welding (FCAW).

  Welding is a process that has become ubiquitous in various industries for a variety of applications. For example, welding is often used in applications such as shipbuilding, offshore platforms, construction, pipe mills. Certain welding techniques (eg, gas metal arc welding (GMAW), gas shielded flux core arc welding (FCAW-G), and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)) are typically performed in the welding arc and weld pool during the welding process. And other gases (eg, flux core arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding), while shielding gas (eg, argon, carbon dioxide or oxygen) is used to provide a specific local atmosphere around it (SAW) and shield metal arc welding (SMAW)) are not used. In addition, there are types of welding that require a welding electrode in the form of a welding wire. The welding wire generally supplies a filler metal for welding and constitutes a current path during the welding process. Further, a type of welding wire (eg, hollow welding wire) having one or more components (eg, fluxes, arc stabilizers, and other additives) that generally alters the properties of the welding process and / or the resulting weld. There is also.

  In one embodiment, the hollow welding wire electrode has a sheath and a core. The core has a carbon source and a potassium source, which together constitute less than 10% by weight of the core. Furthermore, the carbon source is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, lamp black, carbon nanotubes and diamond.

  In another embodiment, a welding method includes feeding a welding wire electrode to a welding apparatus. The welding wire electrode has a core and a sheath, the core has a carbon source and a stabilizer, which together constitute less than 10% by weight of the core. The method further includes forming a welding arc between the welding wire electrode and the coated metal workpiece.

  In another embodiment, a welding system has a welding torch configured to receive a welding wire electrode. The welding wire electrode has a carbon source and an alkali metal source, which together constitute less than 10% by weight of the welding wire electrode. Furthermore, the welding torch is configured to periodically move the welding wire electrode in a desired pattern while maintaining an arc between the welding wire electrode and the workpiece.

  These features, aspects and advantages of the present invention, as well as other features, aspects and advantages will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: It will be understood.

1 is a block diagram of a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow welding electrode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process that can weld a workpiece using a hollow welding electrode in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates a process for manufacturing a hollow welding electrode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  As previously noted, certain types of welding electrodes (eg, hollow welding wires) may include one or more components (eg, flux, arc stability) that generally alter the characteristics of the welding process and / or the resulting weld. Agents and other additives). Accordingly, the present disclosure incorporates various forms of carbon (eg, graphite, graphene, carbon black, lamp black, diamond or similar carbon sources) to stabilize the arc and / or to improve the weld chemistry. It relates to a welding electrode composition to be changed (for example, the carbon content increases). Furthermore, embodiments of the welding electrode of the present invention may include other stabilizers such as alkali metal compounds (ie, Group 1 elements such as lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb ) Or cesium (Cs)), alkaline earth metal compounds (ie, group 2 elements such as beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba)) Compound), rare earth silicides, and other elements (eg, titanium, manganese or similar elements) and inorganics (eg, pyrite, magnetite, etc.). As described below, the disclosed welding electrodes can be coated workpieces (eg, plated workpieces, galvanized workpieces, painted workpieces, aluminized workpieces, carburized workpieces or similar coated workpieces) and / or thin workpieces ( For example, 20 gauge work, 22 gauge work, 24 gauge work or thinner work) may be possible. Further, the disclosed welding electrodes are available in a variety of welding configurations (eg, direct current negative (DCEN), direct current positive (DCEP), variable polarity, pulsed direct current (DC), balanced or unbalanced alternating current (AC) polarity waveforms). Under various welding methods (e.g., with circular or meandering motion of the welding electrode during welding), generally allow acceptable welding.

  The term “hollow welding electrode” or “hollow welding wire” as used herein refers to any welding wire or welding electrode having a metal sheath and a granular or powdered core, such as a metal core welding electrode or a flux core welding electrode. Should be understood to mean It should also be understood that the term “stabilizer” generally means any component of the hollow welding electrode that improves arc and / or weld quality.

  Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) system 10 using a welding electrode (eg, a hollow welding wire) in accordance with the present disclosure. Although this description may be particularly focused on the GMAW system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the welding electrodes of the present disclosure may be any arc welding process that uses welding electrodes (eg, FCAW, FCAW-G, It should be understood that it can be beneficial to GTAW, SAW, SMAW or similar arc welding processes. The welding system 10 includes a welding power unit 12, a welding wire feeder 14, a gas supply system 16, and a welding torch 18. The welding power unit 12 generally powers the welding system 10 and can be connected to the welding wire feeder 14 via the cable bundle 20 and connected to the workpiece 22 using a lead cable 24 having a clamp 26. be able to. In the illustrated embodiment, the welding wire feeder 14 supplies a hollow consumable welding wire (ie, welding electrode) and powers the welding torch 18 during operation of the welding system 10 and through the cable bundle 28 to weld the torch 18. Connected to. In another embodiment, the welding power unit 12 can be connected to the welding torch 18 to power the welding torch 18 directly.

  The welding power unit 12 can generally have a power conversion circuit that receives input power from an AC power source 30 (eg, an AC power grid, an engine / generator set, or a combination thereof) The input power is adjusted and DC output power or AC output power is supplied via the cable 20. As such, the welding power unit 12 can supply power to the welding wire feeder 14, which further supplies power to the welding torch 18 in accordance with the requirements of the welding system 10. A lead cable 24 terminating at the clamp 26 connects the welding power unit 12 to the workpiece 22 and closes the circuit between the welding power unit 12, the workpiece 22 and the welding torch 18. Welding power unit 12 provides AC input power to DC pole plus (DCEP) output, DC pole minus (DCEN) output, DC variable polarity, pulsed DC or variable balance (eg, balanced), as specified by the requirements of welding system 10. Or it may have circuit elements (eg, transformers, rectifiers, switches, etc.) that can be converted to AC output. The welding electrodes (eg, hollow welding wires) of the present disclosure may be capable of allowing improvements to the welding process (eg, improved arc stability and / or improved weld quality) for a number of different power configurations. Should be understood.

The illustrated welding system 10 includes a gas supply system 16 that supplies a shield gas or shield gas mixture from one or more shield gas sources 17 to a welding torch 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the gas supply system 16 is directly connected to the welding torch 18 via a gas conduit 32. In another embodiment, the gas supply system 16 can instead be connected to the wire feeder 14, which can regulate the flow of gas from the gas supply system 16 to the welding torch 18. Shielding gas, as used herein (for example, interrupts the arc, increases arc stability, limits metal oxide formation, increases metal surface wetting, and alters the chemistry of the deposit. Means any gas or mixture of gases that can be supplied to the arc and / or weld pool to provide a specific local atmosphere. In certain embodiments, the shielding gas flow is a shielding gas or mixture of shielding gases (eg, argon (Ar), helium (He), carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), oxygen (O ₂ ), nitrogen (N ₂ ). A similar suitable shielding gas or any mixture thereof). For example, shielding gas flow (eg, delivered via conduit 32) can include Ar, Ar / CO ₂ mixtures, Ar / CO ₂ / O ₂ mixtures, Ar / He mixtures, and the like.

  Thus, the illustrated welding torch 18 generally provides welding electrode (ie, hollow welding wire) and power from the welding wire feeder 14 and shield gas flow from the gas supply system 16 for GMAW of the workpiece 22. receive. In operation, the welding torch 18 can be moved closer to the workpiece 22 such that an arc 34 can be formed between the consumable welding electrode (ie, the welding wire exiting the contact tip of the welding torch 18) and the workpiece 22. . Further, the chemical properties (eg, compositional and physical properties) of the arc 34 and / or the resulting weld are altered by adjusting the composition of the welding electrode (ie, hollow welding wire) as described below. can do. For example, the welding electrode can have a flux component or an alloy component, which can act as an arc stabilizer and can be at least partially incorporated into the weld to provide a mechanical component of the weld. Can affect properties. In addition, certain components of the welding electrode (ie, welding wire) may also provide additional shielding atmosphere near the arc, affecting the arc transfer characteristics and / or reducing the surface of the workpiece.

  A cross section of one embodiment of the welding electrode of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a hollow welding electrode 50 (eg, hollow welding wire 50) that has a metal sheath 52 that encapsulates a granular or powdered core 54. The metal sheath 52 can be made from any suitable metal or alloy (eg, high carbon steel, low carbon steel or other suitable metal or alloy). It should be understood that because the metal sheath 52 can generally provide a filler material for welding, the composition of the metal sheath 52 can affect the composition of the resulting weld. Thus, the metal sheath 52 can have additives or impurities (eg, iron oxide, carbon, alkali metals, manganese or similar compounds or components) that provide the desired welding characteristics. You can choose to do. The granular core 54 of the illustrated hollow welding electrode 50 can generally be a compact having a composition that may include a carbon source and an alkali metal compound in certain embodiments, as described below. The carbon source, alkali metal compound, and other components (eg, other flux or alloy components) can be disposed within the granular core 54 either homogeneously or heterogeneously (eg, in agglomerates or aggregates 56). Further, for certain welding electrode embodiments (eg, metal core welding electrodes), the granular core 54 can have one or more metals (eg, iron, iron oxide, or other metals), and this The metal can provide at least a portion of the filler metal for welding.

  Examples of components that may be present in the hollow welding electrode 50 (ie, in addition to one or more carbon sources and one or more alkali metal compounds), METALLOY X, commercially available from Illinois Tool Works, Inc. Other stabilizing components, flux components and alloy components can be mentioned, as can be seen in CEL ™ welding electrodes. In general, the proportion of the total combination of one or more carbon sources and one or more alkali metal compounds should be about 0.01 wt% to about 10 wt% with respect to the entire granular core 54 or hollow weld electrode 50. Can do. It should be noted that the weight percent generally refers to the contribution on a weight basis of the potassium and carbon sources as a whole, not just the contribution on the weight basis of elemental potassium or carbon. For example, in certain embodiments, the proportion of the total combination of one or more carbon sources and one or more alkali metal compounds is about 0.01% to about 8%, about 0.05% to about 5 % Or about 0.1% to about 4%. Depending on the conditions of the arc 34, the components of the welding wire (eg, metal sheath 52, granular core 54, etc.) may change their physical state, undergo a chemical reaction (eg, oxidation, decomposition, etc.), or may be substantially controlled by the welding process. It should be understood that it can be incorporated into welds that do not undergo mechanical modification.

The carbon source present in the granular core 54 and / or the metal sheath 52 can take many forms, can stabilize the arc 34 and / or increase the carbon content of the weld. . For example, in certain embodiments, graphite, graphene, nanotubes, fullerenes or similar substantially SP ² hybrid carbon sources can be used as the carbon source in the hollow welding electrode 50. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, graphene or graphite may be used to provide other components (eg, moisture, gas, metals, etc.) that may be present in the interstitial space between the carbon sheets. In other embodiments, a substantially SP ³ hybrid carbon source (eg, microdiamond or nanodiamond, carbon nanotube, buckyball) can be used as the carbon source. In still other embodiments, substantially amorphous carbon (eg, carbon black, lamp black, soot or similar amorphous carbon source) can be used as the carbon source. Further, although the present disclosure may refer to this component as a “carbon source”, the carbon source may be a chemically modified carbon source that may contain elements other than carbon (eg, oxygen, halogen, metals, etc.) You should understand what you can do. For example, in certain embodiments, the hollow welding electrode 50 has a carbon black carbon source (eg, in the granular core 54 and / or the metal sheath 54) that can contain a manganese content of about 20%. Can do.

  Further, the hollow welding electrode 50 may have one or more alkali metal compounds that stabilize the arc 34. That is, the granular core 54 and / or the metal sheath 52 of the hollow welding electrode 50 are composed of one or more group 1 element and group 2 element compounds, that is, lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K). , Rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) or barium (Ba). Non-limiting lists of examples of compounds include Group 1 (ie alkali metal) and Group 2 (ie alkaline earth metal) silicates, titanates, manganese titanates, alginate, Examples include carbonates, halides, phosphates, sulfides, hydroxides, oxides, permanganates, silicon halides, feldspar, porcite, molybdenite and molybdate. For example, in certain embodiments, the granular core 54 of the hollow welding electrode 50 may include potassium manganese titanate, potassium sulfate, sodium feldspar, potassium feldspar and / or lithium carbonate. Similar examples of carbon sources and alkali metal compounds that can be used are described in U.S. Pat.No. 7,087,860 `` STRAIGHT POLARITY METAL CORED WIRES '' and U.S. Pat. Both patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

  Furthermore, the hollow welding electrode 50 can also have other stabilizing components. In general, rare earth elements can provide stability to the arc 34 and the rare earth elements can affect the properties of the resulting weld. For example, in certain embodiments, the hollow welding electrode 50 may include a rare earth element (eg, cerium), such as Rare Earth Silicide (eg, commercially available from Miller and Company of Rosemont, Ill.). The rare earth silicide can be used. Further, the hollow welding electrode 50 may additionally or alternatively have other elements and / or minerals that provide arc stability and adjust the chemistry of the resulting weld. For example, in certain embodiments, the granular core 54 and / or the metal sheath 52 of the hollow welding electrode 50 may include certain elements (eg, titanium, manganese, zirconium, fluorine or other elements) and / or minerals. (Eg, pyrite, magnetite, etc.). By way of illustration, certain embodiments may include zirconium silicide, nickel zirconium or titanium, aluminum and / or an alloy of zirconium in the granular core 54. In particular, various sulfide compounds, sulfate compounds and / or sulfite compounds (eg molybdenum disulfide, manganese sulfite, barium sulfate, calcium sulfate or potassium sulfate) or sulfur-containing compounds or sulfur-containing inorganic substances (eg pyrite, gypsum or the like) Sulfur-containing compounds) can be included in the granular core 54 to improve the quality of the resulting weld by improving the bead shape and promoting slug release, This can be particularly beneficial when welding galvanized workpieces, as will be explained below.

  In general, the hollow welding electrode 50 can generally stabilize the formation of the arc 34 relative to the workpiece 22. Therefore, the hollow welding electrode 50 of the present disclosure can increase the deposition rate while reducing scattering during the welding process. It should be further understood that the improved stability of the arc 34 can generally allow welding of the coated metal workpiece. Non-limiting list of examples of coated workpieces include painted workpieces, seal workpieces, galvanized workpieces, galvanealed workpieces, plating (eg nickel plating, copper plating, tin plating or electricity using similar metals) Plating or chemical plating) work, chrome plating work, nitrite coating work, aluminum plating work or carburizing work. For example, in the case of a galvanized workpiece, the hollow weld electrode 50 of the present disclosure can generally improve the stability of the arc 34 and penetration by the arc 34 so that the outside of the workpiece 22 is coated with zinc. Nevertheless, excellent welding can be achieved. Furthermore, by improving the stability of the arc 34, the hollow welding electrode 50 of the present disclosure can generally allow welding of thinner workpieces than may be possible with other welding electrodes. For example, in certain embodiments, the hollow welding electrode 50 of the present disclosure can be used to weld metals having about 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 22 gauge, 24 gauge, or even thinner workpieces.

  Furthermore, the hollow welding electrode 50 of the present disclosure can also be combined with a certain welding method or technique (eg, a technique of moving the welding electrode in a particular way during a welding operation), The robustness of the welding system 10 can be further increased for certain types of workpieces. For example, in certain embodiments, the welding torch 18 maintains the arc 34 between the hollow welding electrode 50 and the workpiece 22 (eg, only between the sheath 52 of the hollow welding electrode 50 and the workpiece 22). In addition, the electrodes can be configured to move cyclically or periodically in a desired pattern (for example, a circular pattern, a spin arc pattern, or a meandering pattern) within the welding torch 18. As a specific example, in certain embodiments, the disclosed hollow welding electrode 50 comprises a welding method disclosed in US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/576850 entitled “DC ELECTRODE NEGATIVE ROTATING ARC WELDING METHOD AND SYSTEM”. It can use with welding methods, such as. The above provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. It should be understood that such welding techniques may be particularly useful in welding thin workpieces (eg, having 20 gauge thickness, 22 gauge thickness, or 24 gauge thickness) as described above.

  FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a process 60 in which the welding system 10 and the hollow welding electrode 50 of the present disclosure can be welded using the workpiece 22. The illustrated process 60 begins by feeding (block 62) the hollow welding electrode 50 (ie, welding wire 50) to a welding apparatus (eg, welding torch 18). In addition, the process 60 applies a shield gas flow (eg, 100% argon, 75% argon / 25% carbon dioxide, 90% argon / 10% helium or similar shield gas flow) to the contact tip (eg, torch 18 of the welder). Supply (block 64). In other embodiments, a welding system that does not use a gas supply system (eg, such as gas supply system 16 shown in FIG. 1) can be used, and one or more components of hollow welding electrode 50 (eg, aluminum , Iron or magnesium oxide) can provide a shielding gas component. The hollow welding electrode 50 can then be brought near the workpiece 22 (block 66) so that an arc 34 can be formed between the hollow welding electrode 50 and the workpiece 22. It should be understood that arc 34 can be generated using, for example, DCEP, DCEN, DC variable polarity, pulsed DC, balanced AC power supply configurations or unbalanced AC power supply configurations for GMAW system 10. Furthermore, as described above, in certain embodiments, the arc welding 34 can be maintained during the welding process (eg, substantially between the metal sheath 52 of the hollow welding electrode 50 and the workpiece 22). The electrode 50 can be moved cyclically or periodically relative to the workpiece 22 according to a particular pattern and / or geometry (eg, spin arc, swirl pattern or serpentine pattern) (block 68). Further, in certain embodiments, the cyclic welding of the hollow welding electrode 50 and / or the hollow welding electrode 50 during welding may result in thinner (e.g., less than 20 gauge) workpieces and painted workpieces, galvanized It can generally allow welding of workpieces, alloyed galvanized workpieces, plated workpieces, aluminum plated workpieces, chrome plated workpieces, carburized workpieces or other similar coated workpieces.

  FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a process 70 that can produce a hollow welding electrode 50. Process 70 forms the strip into a partially circular metal sheath 52 (e.g., creates a semi-circle or depression) and feeds the flat metal strip into multiple dies (block 72). Start with. After the metal strip is at least partially formed into the metal sheath 52, the metal strip can be filled with the granular core material 54 (block 74). In response, the partially molded metal sheath 52 can be filled with various powdered flux and alloy components (eg, iron oxide, zinc metal or similar flux and / or alloy components). it can. More specifically, among various flux components and alloy components, 10% of the hollow welding electrode 50 and / or the granular core material 54 are combined with one or more carbon sources and one or more alkali metal compounds. Can be added to make up less. Further, in certain embodiments, other components (eg, rare earth silicides, magnetite, titanates, pyrite and / or other similar components) are added to the partially shaped metal sheath 52. You can also. Once the components of the particulate core material 54 are added to the partially shaped metal sheath 52, the partially shaped metal sheath 52 then substantially surrounds the particulate core material 54 (eg, a seam 58). The metal sheath 52 can be fed into one or more dies that can be generally closed (block 76). Further, the closed metal sheath 52 may then be fed into a plurality of dies (eg, drawing dies) to reduce the diameter of the hollow welding electrode 50 by compressing the granular core material 54 (block 78). it can.

  While only certain specific features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications and variations that fall within the true spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Welding system 12 Welding power unit 14 Welding wire feeder 16 Gas supply system 17 Shielding gas source 18 Welding torch 18 Torch 20 Cable 22 Work 24 Lead cable 26 Clamp 28 Cable bundle 30 AC power supply 32 Gas conduit 34 Arc 50 Hollow welding electrode 50 Welding Wire 52 Metal sheath 54 Granular core 58 Seam

Claims (20)

A hollow welding wire,
A sheath and a core, the core having a carbon source and a potassium source, wherein the carbon source and the potassium source together constitute less than 10% by weight of the core, the carbon source comprising carbon black, A hollow welding wire selected from the group consisting of lamp black, carbon nanotubes and diamond.   The potassium source is potassium silicate, potassium titanate, potassium alginate, potassium carbonate, potassium fluoride, potassium phosphate, potassium sulfide, potassium hydroxide, potassium oxide, potassium permanganate, potassium silicofluoride, potassium feldspar, molybdenum The hollow welding wire of claim 1 comprising potassium acid or a combination thereof.   The hollow welding wire according to claim 1, comprising a sulfur source including manganese sulfite, molybdenum disulfide, gypsum, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate or pyrite.   The hollow welding wire according to claim 1, comprising rare earth silicide.   The hollow welding wire according to claim 1, wherein the carbon source and the potassium source constitute 0.1 wt% to 3 wt% of the core.   The hollow welding wire according to claim 1, wherein the carbon source and the potassium source together constitute 0.01 wt% to 8 wt% of the core.   The hollow welding wire according to claim 1, wherein the carbon source and the potassium source constitute 0.05 wt% to 5 wt% of the core. A welding method,
Feeding a welding wire electrode to a welding apparatus, wherein the welding wire electrode has a core and a sheath, the core has a carbon source and a stabilizer, and the carbon source and the stabilizer are Together, constituting less than 10% by weight of the core;
Forming a welding arc between the welding wire electrode and the coated metal workpiece.   The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises providing a shield gas stream proximate the welding arc, the shield gas stream comprising argon, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, or combinations thereof.   The method according to claim 8, wherein the coated metal workpiece includes a galvanized workpiece or an alloyed galvanized workpiece.   The method according to claim 8, wherein the coated metal workpiece includes a metal workpiece coated, plated, chrome plated, aluminum plated, carburized, nitrite coated, or a combination thereof.   The stabilizer is potassium silicate, potassium titanate, potassium alginate, potassium carbonate, potassium fluoride, potassium phosphate, potassium sulfide, potassium hydroxide, potassium oxide, potassium permanganate, potassium silicofluoride, potassium feldspar, potassium The method of claim 8 comprising molybdenite or a combination thereof.   The method of claim 12, wherein the stabilizer comprises magnetite, pyrite, titanium, zirconium, rare earth silicide, or combinations thereof.   The method of claim 8, wherein the workpiece has a thickness of 16 gauge or less. A welding system,
A welding torch configured to receive a welding wire electrode, the welding wire electrode having a carbon source and a metal source, the carbon source and the metal source being combined, the weight of the welding wire electrode being 10 The metal source includes an alkali metal source, an alkaline earth metal source or any combination thereof, and the welding torch maintains an arc between the welding wire electrode and the workpiece, A welding system configured to cycle the welding wire electrode in a desired pattern.   16. The apparatus of claim 15, configured to weld using a power supply configuration selected from the group consisting of DC pole plus (DCEP), direct current (DC) variable polarity, pulsed DC, balanced alternating current (AC) and unbalanced AC. The described welding system.   The alkali metal source is alkali metal silicate, alkali metal titanate, alkali metal alginate, alkali metal carbonate, alkali metal halide, alkali metal phosphate, alkali metal sulfide, alkali metal hydroxide, 16. The welding system of claim 15, comprising alkali metal oxide, alkali metal permanganate, alkali metal feldspar, alkali metal porsite, alkali metal molybdate, or combinations thereof.   The alkaline earth metal source includes alkaline earth metal silicate, alkaline earth metal titanate, alkaline earth metal alginic acid, alkaline earth metal carbonate, alkaline earth metal halide, alkaline earth metal phosphoric acid. Salt, alkaline earth metal sulfide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal permanganate, alkaline earth metal feldspar, alkaline earth metal porsite, alkaline earth The welding system of claim 15 comprising a metal molybdate or a combination thereof.   The welding system according to claim 15, wherein the welding system is configured to weld a galvanized workpiece, a painted workpiece, a plated workpiece, a chrome plated workpiece, or an aluminum plated workpiece.   The welding system further includes a gas supply system configured to supply a shielding gas to the welding torch, wherein the shielding gas stream includes argon, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, or combinations thereof. The welding system according to claim 15.

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